Argentina Creates a $131 Visa Fee for US Visitors
Travel Talk
Argentina Tourism Has Been Struck A Heavy Blow by The Imposition of a $131 Visa Fee (Arthur Frommers' Blog)
http://bit.ly/6fqwJq
What goes around, comes around. The United States simply can't continue charging $131 for a visa to enter the country without discovering that other countries will retaliate with a similar fee for entering their country...
Do you think the new $131 visa fee will have an impact on backpacker tourism from the US?
(Brazil's visa fee for people from the US is $130.)
- Comments
15 years
Nah, if they can afford the flight, I'm sure they can afford the visa.
I'm wondering if it will discourage at least some backpackers. Flights to Europe and South America can be about the same price, but traveling to both Brazil and Argentina now costs an extra $261 USD plus extra expenses and hassles of obtaining the visas. Chile also has a $131 fee.
It's still probably a lot cheaper to backpack around South America than Europe or the US, but people who haven't been to South America might not realize how cheap it is, and might be discouraged by $130 to $392 in upfront fees. (Maybe more - I don't know if there are entry fees for other South American countries.)
Example: when I was traveling around Europe on a shoestring ~9 years ago, there was a $45 visa fee to enter Turkey, and that put the country out of my budget, even though Turkey was probably cheaper than Greece. $45 was significantly more than a week's worth of accommodation in Greece :)
I don't think the visa fees are unfair because the US unfortunately does the same, but the fees may make a backpacking tour around South America appear less cheap for US backpackers.
15 years
Argentina and Brazil apply Visa Fee only for citizen of those countries who require the same. Italy does not apply visa fee for argentines and therefore I pay nothing when I go in Argentina :D
15 years
Haha, oh dear poor US backpackers. I remember being held up at the border going into Bolivia last year because of an American girl kicking up a fuss about having to pay a visa fee when no one else had to. She felt it was unfair until it was pointed out that it was a reciprocal thing. Its a tough pill to swallow, but it is easier for a US citizen to pay a visa fee than for a Brazilian/Bolivian/Argentine etc. I don't think it will change things, if people want to visit S.A then they will factor in the visa fee. That's what I do when I want to go somewhere.
15 years
Yep, I think it will. $131 is no small amount. What a shame...on both sides of that fence.
On a similar note, I just went to Costa Rica and they have an "exit" fee. I got a good laugh out of that. It was only ~$25 USD, but why not just add it into the cost of the ticket. All these little fees (extra baggage fee, exit fee, visa fee, etc) are annoying. I got a good dose of "fees" in Europe on budget airlines. They advertise $.01 flights, but it ends up costing you $120 bucks...which still isn't bad, but c'mon where has the honesty gone in this world??
Cheers,
Lem
15 years
it's a shame... it definitely influences my decisions to travel. i didn't visit brazil in 2006 even though i was already in argentina and uruguay. i almost managed to talk my way thru but it didn't work out at the 2nd checkpoint. i'd love to go back to argentina but i choose only countries that have no visa fees. i have written to the state department asking to end visa fees to other countries, however.
15 years
I noticed far fewer American backpackers in Brazil ($131 Visa) than in other countries in SA that didn't require the fee. Brazil makes it tough too, you have to go in to their consulate several weeks ahead of time and spend an hour in line before explaining why you want to go to Brazil.
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